The Roger Hughes era started not with a bang, but a whimper last Saturday. Princeton looked disjointed against a Lafayette team that is quite possibly the weakest on the 2000 football schedule. The introductory process continues tomorrow against Lehigh under the lights of Princeton Stadium, where the Tigers hope to be a little more explosive and a little less meek.
The task is made no easier by the opponent. In fact, the Mountain Hawks (2-0) are among the favorites in the Patriot League, where many picked Lafayette to finish last. Under similar circumstances last season, Lehigh swamped Princeton, 31-0, in the first night game in Tiger history.
The Mountain Hawks have lost considerable talent since that game, including most of their skill players. Lehigh head coach Kevin Higgins has managed to build a program that regenerates quickly, however, and his team has taken its first two games this year. The Mountain Hawks are 19th in the ESPN/USA Today Div. I-AA Coaches Poll.
"What we've been able to do is raise the bar each year," Higgins said. "We've been able to attract quality student-athletes to the program that are very competitive and like to win."
Princeton looks to counter the powerful Lehigh squad with a team that showed a number of weaknesses last week. Tiger coaches attribute last week's mishaps not to a lack of personnel or intensity, but to a lack of preparation.
"We came into this season with a quarterback that probably played in half, maybe even a third of the practices in the spring," offensive coordinator Dave Rackovan said. "Marty Cheatam's a fullback. They [Princeton] didn't even have a fullback last year.
"It's easy to see why, in the first quarter, and the second quarter and the third quarter, we didn't execute as well as we had to. I think as the game [went] on, a lot of those people got used to playing at that level."
In the second game under Hughes, the Tigers will need a steeper learning curve to keep up with a number of Lehigh weapons. The majority of the Mountain Hawk defense that shut Princeton out last year returns for the 2000 campaign. Through two games this season, Lehigh has allowed a total of 141 yards rushing.
Ace up the sleeve
On the offensive side of the ball, Lehigh has fully addressed the gaps created by the loss of eight seniors from last year's team. Behind tailback Phil Pleasant, the Mountain Hawks have rushed for nearly 200 yards per game. The team's best weapon, however, is without question new quarterback Brant Hall, who averages 78 yards per game on the ground and 208 through the air.
"My main worry is their quarterback," Princeton defensive lineman Jason Rotman said. "I didn't expect Lehigh's quarterback to be this good of a runner.
"It really puts the defensive line in a little bit of a sticky situation, whether to try and go for the sack, or whether to be a little less aggressive and try to contain the run."
Perhaps the most important statistic for this week is not measured horizontally. Lehigh's wide receiver corps has an average height of five feet, 11 inches. This should draw a sigh of relief from Princeton's cornerbacks, who ran into a good deal of trouble against Lafayette's pair of 6-3 wideouts last week.
Tall order
Tall wide receivers or not, the challenge remains clear for Princeton: rebound from a painful loss against what some consider to be a superior team. The Mountain Hawks have started each of the last three years 3-0. They currently stand at 2-0.
"When we had to respond in the fourth quarter [against Lafayette], we did, and that just whet our appetite, and we can't wait to get out again on Saturday," senior fullback Marty Cheatam said. "I personally was a little embarrassed by [last year's] loss [to Lehigh], you know, home opener, first night game ever, and we lose 31-0. I draw some motivation from that, and I think some other guys will, too."
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